E Frontier articles

Smith Micro Software has released Poser Pro, which has a feature set and functionality geared for professional content creators within studio and production environments. The new software builds on the success of the company's popular Poser 7 tool but offers advanced features such as scene-hosting plug-ins for popular 3D environments, a 64-bit render engine, COLLADA support and advanced network rendering,

e frontier has released the 3D human figure character, Miki 2.0. Miki is the latest version of the company’s popular high-resolution 3D figure. Miki is described by the company as a young and modern virtual Asian female that is used in conjunction with e frontier’s Poser software program to create animations, imagery and graphics.

Amapi, the last remaining product from Eovia after Daz Productions acquired Carrara and Hexagon in April, has been sold to e frontier. This places the 3D modelling software in a line-up of 3D products that includes Poser, Shade and Manga Studio.

E Frontier has released Shade 8.5, a free update to its 3D modelling and rendering software. The update offers a Universal Binary release, which adds support for Intel processor-based Macs, and a version for Windows XP 64-bit Edition.

Most 3D artists have experienced Poser at some time in their career. The character tool for animation and graphic design applications was originally based on the pose-able wooden mannequin used by artists for many years. Poser’s figure library has grown in scope and sophistication to make it the alternative modelling tool for artists who need to quickly add characters to 2D and 3D scenes.

Shade 7 is pitched as a beginner-level 3D tool (or a tool for 2D designers and illustrators with minimal 3D needs) which may be true when considering the price, but nevertheless it’s a sophisticated modelling tool with a steep learning curve.

Poser developer Curious Labs has released a preview version of its 3D graphics toolkit Shade 7. The full version of the software is expected to be released by the end of the month, according to a recent statement from the company.

Owners of Mover 4 are now able to include Poser 5 effects in their animations by upgrading to Mover 5, released by E-on Software. The update is available only as a free upgrade to Mover 4, a plug-in for Vue d'Esprit which is still available to purchase for $99 (around £55). Poser 5 is produced by Curious Labs